Data Monday: Video Viewing Across Devices

As rumors of a new Apple TV continue to swirl, it's worth looking at how people are using networked devices to watch TV and online video programming. Hint: it's a multi-device world...

Almost 145 million people watch video online in the U.S., compared to about 290 million who watch traditional TV. Americans spend an average of 32 hours and 47 minutes a week watching traditional TV. They only spend an average of 3 hours and 58 minutes a week on the Internet, and only 27 minutes a week watching video online. (source)

Game consoles have become the most popular device in the U.S. for watching online content on a TV screen. 12% of U.S. households (about 15 million) use gaming consoles to watch content online, which is more than the percentage of households that connect a PC to a TV via HDMI. (source)

Streaming video on game consoles is up over last year. Streaming now represents a reported 14% of Xbox 360 time, 15% of PS3 time and 33% of Wii time. The three platforms combined are up 7 percent in user time versus the year prior. These findings suggest that streaming is incrementally adding to the time users are spending with consoles. (source)

80% of smartphone owners are mobile multitasking while watching TV. 15% are on their phones for programs’ entire durations. 60% browse the mobile web, of which 44% search for unrelated content and 38% search for related content. (source)

40% of tablet and smartphone owners in the U.S. used their devices daily while watching TV, while only 14% of eReader owners said they watched TV while using their device every day. (source)

Tablets are seeing a significantly higher level of engagement in online video viewing, as tablet viewers watch longer than viewers of desktops or mobile devices. Tablet viewers watch 28% longer than desktop viewers. Mobile viewers completed three-quarters of a long-form video at a rate of 20%, compared to 18% for desktops. (source)